Twin wins put SCS in second place

SCS Heavy Equipment Rental notched two wins in one night to gain a share of second place in the 2011 DLX Basketball Invitational Friendship League.

SCS first dueled Wushin Express and eked out an 81-78 victory last Wednesday night at the Gualo Rai Basketball Court. Then in the second game, SCS picked up where it left off, slipping past Pacific Postal, 57-52. SCS now has a 5-1 record, tying Blue Haus for second place, three wins behind pennant champion MDX (8-0).

In its first game, SCS drew double figures from all six players who suited up against Wushin Express. Manolo Manalo led the team with 26, scoring SCS’ last four points. Gilbert Miranda, Robert Guiang, and Jun Pantaleon chipped in 11 apiece, while Jessie Mina and Ferdie Tobias contributed 10 each.

Only two players broke into double figures for Wushin Express with Jun Tabora sizzling for 38 markers and Junar Guiab tallying 16.

SCS and Wushin Express were pretty even in the majority of the match before Manalo made clutch shots and Mina hit his mark in the fourth period.

Wushin took a precarious 17-16 lead after the first period behind the eight points of Tabora. It was still a close match at the break, 33-31, in favor of Wushin, with Tabora adding five more points.

Tables turned at the start of the second half, as Manalo led SCS’ charge, nailing eight points to give his team a three-point cushion, 57-54, entering the final canto. Teams traded baskets in the fourth period with Mina keeping SCS’ distance, as he scored six early points in that canto. Miranda also helped the cause, drilling a triple late in the game, followed by Manalo’s four straight points.

While it was a team effort for SCS, Wushin leaned heavily on Tabora, who drained 12 of the latter’s last 14 points.

After escaping with a three-point win over Wushin, SCS had another tough victory in a make-up game against Pacific Postal Plus

SCS and Pacific Postal played the remaining six minutes of the game with the latter eventually losing the lead and the match after having only four players in the continuation of the contest.

The SCS-Pacific Postal pairing was first scheduled during the league’s opener on Nov. 19, but was rained out in the fourth canto. Pacific Postal led in the first period, 12-6, as SCS was lethargic on offense. SCS then began hitting its shots in the second period, but only matched Pacific Postal’s 20 points, leaving the latter with a 32-26 halftime advantage. In the third period, Pacific Postal nailed 39 markers against SCS’ 37 to stretch the lead to eight, 71-63, and remained on top in the first four minutes of the final canto. However, the depleted Pacific Postal crew collapsed when the game resumed, allowing SCS to grab the win and go 2-for-2 last Wednesday night.

Pacific Postal remains winless (0-7), but will still advance to the eight-team playoffs, as Saipan Boys/San Roque (1-5) is already eliminated in the nine-team field after forfeiting two games.

SCS 81 – Manalo 26, Miranda 11, Pantaleon 11, Guiang 11, Mina 10, Tobias 10.

Wushin Express 78 – Tabora 39, Guiab 16, Patawaran 5, O. Ebuen 5, Farinas 4, De Jesus 3, Tibayan 2.

Scoring by quarters: 16-17, 31-33, 57-54, 81-78.